The Encounter
by MarieBert
Summary: Heartbroken Spike and Jess Mariano meet as they ar both looking for a fresh start. Their relationship will take an unsupected turn, as the world of demons and magics takes a toll on Jess. (P.S. English is my second language, feel free to tell me if you see any intolerable mistakes ! )
1. Endings

Chapter One - Endings

The yellow bus was driving away, leaving nothing behind it but a gigantic hole, where the city of Sunnydale used to be. Underneath the rubble laid the dead body of Buffy Summers. Moments before, Spike was literary destroying everything standing in his way through the amulet given by Angel. Buffy begged him to follow the gang, before it was too late and he'd be swallowed up by the earth itself. Spike insisted he wanted to "see how it's going to end", standing still, despite her begging. As he refused to follow her, Buffy finally admitted her love to Spike, then turned around and ran. But it was too late. As Spike was turning to dust, the whole city collapsed, killing Buffy instantly.

The sun was shining bright on the desolate landscape. Dust was flying all over the air, a certain mass appearing brighter than the rest. Slowly the brighter particles assembled themselves, showing a masculine figure lying on the ground. Spike had reappeared from the dust. He raised his head and, horrified, noticed the sun shining directly on him. His scream broke the silence, as he tried to cover himself up with both arms. His voice started to fade as he realised he didn't feel any pain. He then stood up, both completely confused and amazed at the same time. The amulet, with all its power, had truly made him immortal; nothing could ever get to him anymore.

Spike stood still again for seconds, feeling strangely well, getting acquainted with the touch of the sun on his skin. Then, a painful truth came rushing back in his head: Buffy. Although he was turning to dust at the moment, he had seen her dying. The whole weight of the world fell on his shoulders, pushing him to the ground. He cried in pain, hit the ground with his fist, and then got up again. He didn't know what else to do but walk along the deserted road, as far and as long as he could.

* * *

Jess didn't really know what he was doing at Yale, but there he was, acting impulsively as he often did, begging Rory to leave with him. Anywhere would be fine; it didn't matter, as long as he would be with her. Anyway that's what he thought, but Rory kept hammering a firm and heartbreaking "no" over and over. Jess opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. He had nothing to do but to accept her decision and leave. With nothing but a bag filled with clothes and books, he got back in his car and drove away.

The last thing Jess wanted to do was to get back to his father's place, but as of now, he had no other idea but to drive in that direction. It was a two days long drive to Venice, so he'd better leave now he thought. During the next two days, he tried to think about nothing but the road, though the pain inside him was at times too overwhelming to ignore.


	2. Chapter 2 - Arrivals

Chapter 2 – Arrivals

After hours, maybe days, of walking, Spike arrived in LA where he knew Angel was working against the forces of evil. Never would he work for him, but at least he knew that there was something to do here. Maybe he now had a soul, but the centuries he'd spent as a vampire had impregnated him with a thirst for blood and violence that was eternal. And that thirst was only stronger since Buffy's death: some demons would take a beating.

Now that he was immune to sunlight, perhaps Spike should find a normal apartment and a regular job … The thought made him laugh and he went looking for a cemetery. There he found a mausoleum that seemed good enough, smaller than the one he had in Sunnydale, but somewhat cozy. In a few hours, he had stolen enough stuff from surrounding stores to be comfortable enough: a bed, a small table, two chairs and oil lamps. He would keep furnishing the place later, but that would do the trick for the moment.

The "move" had distracted Spike for a few hours, but there he was again, alone with his thoughts and the horrible, horrifying truth. Perhaps would he have been better off if the world had ended, he thought. The first time Buffy had died, he had to take care of Dawn. Now he was truly alone. His head started to ache, it was all too much and he had to do something about it. He lit a cigarette as he got out of his crypt. For tonight, and perhaps forever, the only cure to his pain would be alcohol and, hopefully, a good fight. He walked along the closest boulevard and got into the first bar he saw.

* * *

Jess arrived in LA before the sunset, and wasn't ready yet to go back to his father's place. It had been almost a week since he'd left without a single word. His pride took over and he didn't quite feel like showing his face there. He preferred to wander around, walking on a boulevard where all kinds of stores, bars and restaurants interweaved. A small store, looking somewhat gothic got his attention. He came in, making a little bell hung by the door ring, but there was no one in sight. He didn't quite get the store, it just seemed like there were all kinds of stuff that didn't fit together. At the back of the shop he saw books and walked directly towards them. They were only about magic and other nonsense, so he turned around wanting to leave, but his eyes fell on a book that stood out from the rest. He took it in his hands to realize it was much heavier than it seemed. The cover, of a brown so dark it was almost black, was rigid and had a leathery feel to it. He gently caressed it and noticed it had a rich relief, although it was almost invisible to the eye. The pages were blank. Jess looked around: still no one. He just shoved the notebook in his bag and got out.

Jess got back into his car and decided to go to his dad for good. But on the way he saw a little bar and thought a couple of drinks might help him deal with his father. He sat down, and ended up ordering drink after drink, to the point where he could no longer feel anything. He'd better sleep in his car; he was used to it anyway. Without paying, he just got up and left, lurching in the dark of the night.


End file.
